For The Best Fast Food Onion Rings, Customers Say Head To This Midwest Chain

Onion rings are one fast food side that just seems to go perfectly with a burger. Whether you're a fan of thick-cut onion rings or you love thinner onion rings with a crispy coating, their crunchy texture and salty flavor provide a satisfying contrast to a savory burger. While several well-known fast food chains offer onion rings, diehard fans say Culver's is the best place to get them.

As a fast food chain born in Wisconsin, one of Culver's claims to fame is its cheese curds, made from real Wisconsin cheddar sourced from a Wisconsin dairy farm. It's hard to argue against their greatness. In fact, we ranked cheese curds as Culver's best side. But we also ranked Culver's onion rings second, finding them to be the perfect mix of soft inside and crispy outside. We also loved the way they pair with sauces.

Online, many customers seem to agree that Culver's onion rings are tops. And that's saying a lot, since A&W, Carl's Jr, Sonic, and Burger King all have options on their own menus. Redditors describe Culver's onion rings as being absolutely perfect and even better than the chain's cheese curds. They're so good that one Reddit poster loves them, even though they don't like onions. Fans of the rings also love dipping them in sauce like we did. Some recommend Culver's signature sauce, while others recommend cheese sauce or honey mustard. At least one commenter even recommends dipping them in Culver's signature vanilla custard.

What sets Culver's onion rings apart in a crowded field? For starters, Culver's uses whole onions, a spice blend as part of its batter so as not to overwhelm the onion's natural flavors, and salts the rings as soon as they leave the fryer. This gives the rings a crispy exterior while the onion still shows up in every bite. They are called onion rings after all.

Culver's homestyle approach to onion ring prep and smooth batter contrasts with some of its biggest rivals. Some chains are speculated to use a minced onion paste rather than whole onions, creating a "ring" that doesn't taste anything like an onion. Other chains opt for a sweeter onion ring rather than a savory one, even using vanilla-flavored ice mix in the batter. Even a place like White Castle — famously known for its sliders with dehydrated onions — has carved out a unique spot with onion chips — deep-fried onion pieces, which customers say are one of the best things on the menu.

Whether Culver's makes the best onion rings is debatable, but it's clear they've got plenty of fans. The combination of a crispy, crunchy outside and a sweet, tender onion inside gives the rings plenty of flavor to be enjoyed on their own or with your favorite sauce. For those who don't have a Culver's nearby — or want to see if they can do better — there's always the option of making a batch of onion rings at home.